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Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, France, Great War, history, illness, Jersey, Lieutenant, Major, Middlesex, photography, story, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, war

Major Alexander Leslie

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Major Alexander Leslie

Alexander Augustus Maurice Leslie was born in France in 1852. One of five children, his parents were Government Secretary of State Francis Leslie and his French wife, Josephine.

Alexander’s mother died when he was 8 years old, by which point the family had moved back to Britain. Francis had set up home in Ealing, Middlesex, and they were living at 15 Castlebar Road, a Victorian villa.

When he completed his schooling, Alexander sought out a military life. The 1881 census recorded him as a Lieutenant in the Suffolk Regiment, living in St Helier, Jersey. He had married the year before, to Louisa Cumming, a surgeon’s daughter from Devon. They had a son, Maurice, by this point, and a daughter, Ida, was born the following year.

Lieutenant Leslie’s service records are sparse, but a later newspaper report fills in some of the gaps: “Leslie’s military experience, which extended… over a period of about 25 years, included participation in the Egyptian campaign in 1884, and service on the West Coast of Africa, in Jamaica, and in India.” [Worthing Gazette: Wednesday 30th April 1919]

During her husband’s time overseas, Louisa raised the children back home in Devon. She passed away in 1901, but which point, Alexander had retired with the rank of Captain. That year’s census found him living with Maurice and Ida at 14 Spencer Hill in Wimbledon, Surrey, a large detached villa. Maurice, now 20 years of age, was working as an accountant’s clerk, and the family had a live-in servant called Rose.

The next census record, from 1911, recorded Alexander living in rooms at 46 Leinster Gardens, Paddington. A substantial Georgian property, his landlady was Eveline Giradet, whose other residents included a barrister and a banker. Alexander’s occupation was now noted as Retired Major in the British Army.

From this point, Alexander’s trail grows cold. It is likely that he was called upon to play a part in the global conflict that broke out in 1914, though exactly when and how he did so is unclear. Records suggest he was admitted to Queen Alexandra’s Military Hospital on Millbank, Middlesex on 28th September 1916, suffering from syphilis. He only remained there for a couple of days, and his increasing age and health may have led to his retirement from duty.

For the past four years Major Alexander Maurice Leslie, who was for a period of a quarter of a century connected with the Royal Sussex Regiment, had been a resident of Worthing, and a brief intimation was given in the last issue… that he had died suddenly.

The circumstances were duly investigated by… the Deputy Coroner for West Sussex, on Wednesday afternoon, the inquiry taking place at the Central Fire Station, in High-street.

Evidence of identification was given by Colonel Francis Seymour Leslie… late of the Royal Engineers, who stated that the deceased, who was his brother, had lived at Worthing for the past four years, more or less all the time, though he had no permanent address…

Mrs Ethel William, a widow, at whose house… Major Leslie had lodged, stated that he had complained of indigestion and ate light food. On Monday evening he had his supper at half-past seven o’clock, going upstairs about half an hour later. About nine o’clock witness went to his room and found him lying in bed in great agony, and he exclaimed: “Oh, my poor heart!” Witness gave him some hot water to drink and sent for a doctor.

Dr Bernard Lees stated that he was sent for, but he found Major Leslie was dead when he got to the house. He had since made a post-mortem examination, which showed that the stomach and intestines were much distended, and there were signs of chronic gastric catarrh. The heart was fatty, but the valves were healthy. Death was due to syncope, the result of acute indigestion and the fatty condition of the heart.

A verdict of “Death from natural causes” was recorded.

[Worthing Gazette: Wednesday 30th April 1919]

[It should be noted that Alexander had been attached to the Suffolk Regiment throughout his military career. The error in the newspaper report is likely because of the Sussex town he had moved to in the mid-1910s.]

Alexander Augustus Maurice Leslie was 67 years of age when he passed away on 21st April 1919. His body was laid to rest in Broadwater Cemetery, to the north of the town he had called his home for more than four years.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Lieutenant, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Royal Navy, story, war

Lieutenant Frederick Hill

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Lieutenant Frederick Hill

Frederick Charles Hill was born on 13th June 1882 in the Devon village of Marldon. One of seven children, his parents were William and Elizabeth Hill. William was a carpenter, and the 1891 census found the family living or boarding at the Royal Oak Inn.

When he finished his schooling, Frederick found work as a gardener. However, he sought a bigger and better life and, on 21st April 1897, he joined the Royal Navy. His service record suggests that he lied about his age to do so, giving his year of birth as 1881,

Frederick was below the age to formally enlist in the navy, and was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. He was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training base in Devonport, Devon, spending the next eighteen months there. Promoted to Boy 1st Class in February 1898, he was given his first posting, on board HMS Agincourt, later that year.

In the autumn of 1898, Frederick was assigned to the cruiser HMS Leander. The following summer, and based on the date of birth he had previously provided, he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall, with red hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. Hs was also noted as having a scar on his forehead.

The now Ordinary Seaman Hill remained on board HMS Leander for more than two years. He proved a worthwhile member of crew, and was promoted to Able Seaman in May 1900. He left Leander in January 1901, and was billeted at HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Plymouth, Devon, which would become his base when not at sea.

Frederick’s contract was for twelve years, and during that time he would serve on four vessels. His dedication to the navy was evident by his promotions – he made Leading Seaman in October 1904, Petty Officer 2nd Class in October 1906, and Petty Officer 1st Class in March 1911. When his term of service ended, he immediately re-enlisted, and, at his annual reviews, was regularly noted for his very good character and superior ability. His career kept going from strength to strength, and, in 1914, he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.

He was sent to Antwerp in September [1914] with the Royal Naval Division, and in 1916 went to the Dardanelles, there gaining his commission for bravery. After the evacuation he was sent to France and won the MC in the Ancre drive in 1916. In February 1918 he was sent for six months’ rest to England. Lieut. Hill volunteered to go to France again in November the same year, and contracted heart disease, from which he died. He returned to England early in June [1919], and, being on sick leave, went to Paignton Hospital, where his death occurred.

[Brixham Western Guardian: Thursday 7th August 1919]

Frederick Charles Hill was 37 years of age when he died on 2nd August 1919. His body was laid to rest in the family plot in St John the Baptist’s Church, Marldon.

Frederick’s headstone records his rank as Lieutenant Commander. However, Commonwealth War Grave Commission documents suggest his rank was Lieutenant.

Commonwealth War Graves, Deck Hand, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Orkneys, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Scotland, story, war

Deck Hand James Muir

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Deck Hand James Muir

James Muir was born on 29th October 1889 in the hamlet of Burness on the remote Orkney island of Sanday. The youngest of three children, he was the only son to agricultural labourer Alexander Muir and his wife, Ann.

Little information remains about James’ early life. He seems to have found work at sea, as, when war broke out, he enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve. His service records show that he was 5ft 8in (1.72m) tall, with brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Deck Hand Muir initially served on the depot ship HMS Zaria, before bring transferred to the cruiser HMS Brilliant. By the spring of 1917, he was stationed at HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

James was admitted to the town’s Royal Naval Hospital, suffering from fibroid phthisis, a wasting disease of the lungs. Formally discharged from the Royal Naval Reserve on medical grounds on 28th June 1917, his condition was to worsen, and he passed from the heart condition pericarditis on 16th July. He was 27 years of age.

James Muir passed away 560 miles (900km) from home: he was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the dockyard that had been his home.

Deck Hand James Muir
(from ancestry.co.uk)
Boy, Chief Yeoman of the Signals, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, illness, Isle of Wight, Kent, Leading Signalman, Middlesex, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, Signalman, story, Surrey, Tyne & Wear, war, Yeoman of Signals

Chief Yeoman of Signals Charles Welling

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Chief Yeoman of Signals Charles Welling

Charles James Welling was born on 23rd October 1860, and was the oldest of three children to Charles and Ann Welling. The Wellings were a military family, Charles Sr employed as a Serjeant Instructor of Musquetry in the Parkhurst Barracks on the Isle of Wight when his son was born.

Ann had been born in South Africa while her Irish parents were based out there. She and Charles Sr married in Farnham, Surrey, presumably where the families were based by that point.

Charles Jr’s mother died in 1863, just a month after giving birth to his youngest sibling. His father married again, to Sarah Ash, and by 1871, the Wellings were living in barracks at the School of Musketry in Hythe, Kent.

Being his father’s son, Charles Jr was set to make his own mark on the world and, on 21st January 1876, he joined the Royal Navy. Too young to formally enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent off to HMS Impregnable, the shore base in Devonport, Devon, for his training.

Over the next eighteen months, Boy Welling learnt his trade, spending time at HMS Ganges – another shore base near Ipswich, Suffolk – and the sloop HMS Penguin. It was here that Charles came of age in 1878, and he officially joined the Royal Navy with the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was just 4ft 10.5ins (1.49m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Welling career was to take a turn in 1880, when he began training as a signaller. His initial contract with the navy was for ten years, and, by the time that came to an end in May 1889, he had served on eight ships in all, rising through the ranks from Signalman 3rd Class, to Signalman 2nd Class in August 1881 and Qualified Signalman seven years later.

When Charles’ term of service came to an end, he immediately renewed it, and with the new contract came a promotion to Leading Signalman. The next decade saw him travel the world, returning to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, in between voyages. His commitment to the role paid off: in March 1894 he was promoted to 2nd Class Yeoman of Signals. Just eight months later he took the rank of Yeoman of Signals.

It was around this time that Charles married the love of his life, Harriet Carlaw. Born in London, the couple exchanged vows in St Pancras, Middlesex, on 13th January 1894 and had a son, also called Charles, the following year.

Charles’ naval career continued its upward trajectory, and on 1st March 1898, he was awarded the rank of Chief Yeoman of Signals. By this point HMS Pembroke had become his permanent base and, at the end of his contract in 1899, he was stood down to reserve status.

The 1901 census shows what may have been a downward step for the Wellings: it recorded the family living in rooms at 136 Bayham Street, Camden, Middlesex, where Charles was working as a messenger.

Opportunities come in the most unexpected of places, however, and the following census found them living at Pier House, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, where Charles was employed as a lighthouse keeper.

By this point, Charles had been invalided out of the navy for medical reasons. The writing on his service papers is unclear, and his dismissal seems to have been as a result of disease of gestes, possibly the neurological disorder dystonia.

When war broke out in 1914, however, anyone with experience was called upon to play their part. Given his age at the time, it seems likely that Charles volunteered for service, reporting to HMS Pembroke on 2nd August 1914. He was given his old rank of Chief Yeoman of Signals, and remained at the naval base for the next two years.

Charles’ health was definitely suffering by this point, and he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, in September 1916. Suffering from the heart condition endocarditis, this would take his life. He passed away on 16th September, at the age of 55 years old.

With Harriet still living in Sunderland, Charles’ body was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the base he had called home for so long.

Charles and Harriet’s son had also stepped up to play his part when war broke out. Enlisting in the Royal Engineers, Pioneer Welling soon found himself in the Middle East. While serving in Palestine, he contracted malaria, and passed away from the condition on 16th October 1918. Charles was just 23 years of age, and was laid to rest in Haifa War Cemetery.

It is tragic to note that Harriet had lost her husband and her son within two years.

Blacksmith, Blacksmith's Mate, Commonwealth War Graves, Diver, Essex, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Royal Navy, story, war, Yorkshire

Blacksmith Robert Holdsworth

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Blacksmith Robert Holdsworth

Robert William Holdsworth was born on 11th February 1880 in Pilmoor, Yorkshire. The third of nine children, his parents were John and Fanny. John was a railway signalman, and, by the time of the 1891 census, the family had moved to Kirby Wiske, near Thirsk.

When he completed his schooling, Robert found work as a blacksmith. Moving away from home, by 1901, he was boarding at the Albion Foundry on New Street in Pocklington. The job, however, was a stepping stone to bigger things, and, on 28th July 1902, he enlisted in the Royal Navy.

Blacksmith’s Mate Holdsworth’s service records show that he was 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall. He had dark brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. It was also noted that he had a scar on his right elbow.

Robert was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. He would spend the next year at the base, and was promoted to Blacksmith proper in April 1903. Over the twelve years of his initial contract, he would serve on board seven ships, returning to Chatham in between assignments. The 1911 census recorded him as being one of 283 crew aboard HMS Patrol, a scout vessel moored in Harwich Harbour, Essex.

In the summer of 1916, Robert married Minnie Eames. Born in Kensal Rise, London, by the time of the nuptials, her family had moved to Gillingham, Kent, where her father James worked as a night watchman. Minnie was working as a shop assistant by this point, and was living with her parents and older brother at 35 Wyles Street.

Back at work, Blacksmith Holdsworth had renewed his contract. His annual reviews noted both very good conduct and superior ability, and he had added another string to his bow – the role of Diver – in the spring of 1912. In April 1913 he was assigned to HMS Astraea, on board which he would spend the next three years. The cruiser patrolled the seas off the eastern coast of Africa, bombarding Dar-es-Salaam in the autumn of 1914.

By the summer of 1916, Blacksmith Holdsworth was back at HMS Pembroke, where he would remain for the rest of the year, barring a couple of months’ on board HMS Royal Arthur. On 2nd December Robert was feeling unwell, and was moved the Hospital Ship Garth Castles. He had suffered a cardiac arrest, but his transfer would prove too late: he died that afternoon, at the age of 36.

The body of Robert William Holdsworth was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had called home, and within walking distance of where his widow still lived.

Blacksmith Robert Holdsworth
(from ancestry.co.uk)

The epitaph on Robert’s headstone reads: In loving memory of Robert William Holdsworth, 1st Class Petty Officer (Blacksmith & Diver). There is no evidence in his service records for the PO rank, although this may have been an informal nod to his dual roles.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Ordinary Seaman Thomas Fleet

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Ordinary Seaman Thomas Fleet

Thomas Fleet was born on 3rd February 1879 in Kingswear, Devon, and was the sixth of nine children to Thomas and Emma. Thomas Sr was a fish dealer, and the family lived on Lower Street over the river in Dartmouth. Most of the family were involved in the fish industry, and by the time of the 1901 census, Thomas Jr was also working as a fisherman.

On Christmas Day 1901, Thomas Jr married Hannah Jury. She was a farm labourer’s daughter from Torquay, Devon. The couple married in Hannah’s home town, but settled back in Dartmouth. They had five children – Reginald, Elspeth, Edith, Florence and Thomas – and set up home in a five-roomed house on Victoria Road.

By the time of the 1911 census, Thomas had changed jobs, and was working as a yachtsman. The following year, Reginald died, at the age of just 9 years old. It is unclear how he died, but he passed in August 1912, and was buried on 2nd September, in St Clement’s Churchyard, Dartmouth.

When war broke out, Thomas would be called upon to serve. Unsurprisingly, given his job, he joined the Royal Navy, enlisting on 30th March 1917 as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that, at 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall, he had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Fleet was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his formal training. Tragically, however, his time in the service was to be a brief one. He contracted lobar pneumonia and was admitted to the barracks’ sick quarters. He passed away from heart failure on 13th May 1917, at the age of 38 years old.

The body of Thomas Fleet was taken back to Dartmouth for burial. He was laid to rest in the family plot in St Clement’s Churchyard, reunited with his oldest son, Reginald.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, story, war

Petty Officer 1st Class Frederick Morgan

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Petty Officer 1st Class Frederick Morgan

Frederick Morgan was born on 15th July 1871, the oldest of four children to Samuel and Selina. Samuel was a miner from Bristol, Gloucestershire, but it was in the Staffordshire town of Tipton that he and local girl Selina married and raised their family. The 1881 census found the Morgans living at 17 Brewery Street, to the south of the town centre.

Frederick was not destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, however, and had his sights set on a life at sea, rather than in the depths of a coal mine. On 23rd November 1896 he joined the Royal Navy, and was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training base in Devonport, Devon, for his induction.

Being too young to formally enlist, Frederick was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class. Over the next three years, he learnt the tools of his trade, and served at three further bases: HMS Lion, HMS Penelope and HMS Raleigh. During this time, he was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, on 15th July 1889, when he turned 18, he was formally inducted into the Royal Navy.

Ordinary Seaman Morgan’s service records show that he was just 5ft 2.5ins (1.59m) tall. He had light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He also had a tattoo by this point, of a dancing sailor on the inside of his right arm.

Frederick remained at HMS Raleigh for the next couple of years, and was promoted to Able Seaman on 1st July 1891. From the autumn, however, his sea-going life really took hold. Over the next ten years, he served on five ships, and was to be based at HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, in between voyages. His dedication to the service was recognised – his annual reviews regularly noted his character as very good, and he rose through the ranks to Leading Seaman in May 1898, Petty Officer 2nd Class that October, and Petty Officer 1st Class in January 1901.

Away from work, Frederick’s love life was blossoming. In the autumn of 1893 he married Zipporah Elizabeth Beatrice Griffiths. Better known as Beatrice, she was the daughter of waterman Thomas Griffiths and his wife, Zipporah. The family came from Dartmouth, and this is likely where the young couple got to know each other. They married in St Clement’s Church, Dartmouth, and went on to have two children, George and Kathleen.

On 15th July 1901, Petty Officer Morgan’s initial contract with the Royal Navy came to an end. He renewed it straight away, and would spend the next decade sailing the world. Again Frederick was based at HMS Vivid in between voyages. On 11th July 1911, after 21 years in service, he was formally stood down to reserve status, and he returned to shore.

Frederick’s trail goes cold over the next couple of years, but when war broke out, he was called into service once more. Petty Officer Morgan would serve on the depot ships HMS Leander and Cyclops, which served out of Scapa Flow. He also spent time at HMS Gunner, the naval base to the north of Edinburgh. By March 1919, with the Armistice signed, he found himself based back in Devon.

At the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth, on Saturday, an inquest was held relative to the death of Fredk Morgan, 47, a naval pensioner, who died suddenly in the train on Thursday last.

Wm. Griffiths, inspector, GWR, at Millbay, said that PO Morgan was removed from the 6.20 train from Saltash on Thursday, apparently in a fit. He was laid on a seat, and a doctor who was about to travel on another train pronounced life extinct.

Charles Evans Jenkins, surgeon-lieutenant at the Naval Hospital said death was due to fatty degeneration of the heart.

The Coroner, who expressed his sympathy with the widow, declared that death was due to natural causes.

[Western Times: Tuesday 1st April 1919]

Frederick Morgan died of a heart attack on 27th Match 1919. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Clement’s Churchyard, Dartmouth, where he and Beatrice had been married.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire Regiment, history, illness, photography, Private, Staffordshire, story, war, Warwickshire, Wiltshire

Private Joseph Tyler

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Private Joseph Tyler

Joseph Tyler was born in the spring of 1882, and was the youngest of three children to Joseph and Sarah. Joseph Sr was a carter from Staffordshire, and the family were born and raised in Wordsley.

The 1901 census found the Tylers living in Brierley Hill, with Joseph Jr having found employment as a glass worker. His father passed away in 1907, and so he remained at home to support his now widowed mother.

By the 1911 census, Sarah and Joseph had moved to Birmingham, and were living at 32 Wiggin Street, a terraced house in the Ladywood area. Joseph listed his employment as a glassblower, while his mother gave no employment, presumably looking after the home.

When war came to Europe, Joseph stepped up to play his part. Full details of his service have been lost, but it is clear that he enlisted early on in the conflict. He joined the Hampshire Regiment, and was sent to Wiltshire for training.

Tragically, Private Tyler’s time in the army was not to be a lengthy one. Barracked near the village of Boyton, he was quickly admitted to the local military hospital. Suffering from heart failure, this would take his life: Joseph died on 13th October 1914, at the age of 32.

The body of Joseph Tyler was laid to rest in Boyton Cemetery, not far from the camp that had, so briefly, been his home.

Able Seaman, Boy, Coastguard, Commonwealth War Graves, County Clare, County Cork, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Pembrokeshire, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, Wales, war

Petty Officer 1st Class George Bailey

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Petty Officer 1st Class George Bailey

George Bailey was born in Bedminster, Somerset, on 20th August 1871. One of six children, his parents were George and Anna (or Hannah) Bailey. George Sr was a labourer and, when he died in 1876, Anna moved the family to Clifton, near Bristol.

The 1881 census found the family living in a small cottage at 5 Crosby Row in the then village. Hannah was listed as a late general labourer’s wife, while her three older children were all working for a dairy.

When George finished his schooling, he sought out a career. Joining the Royal Navy, this would prove a long-term role, bringing in a relatively decent wage for him and his family, but also gave him some adventure, not surprising given the number of ships he would have seen going to and fro from Bristol.

George was only 15 years old when he joined up on 25th September 1886, and so was below the age to formally enlist in the navy. Taken on with the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training ship based in Devonport, Devon. Over the next three year he learnt his craft, and served on a few ships, including the battleship HMS Iron Duke.

In October 1887, George was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, on 20th August 1889, while assigned to the Iron Duke, he came of age, and was formally inducted into the Royal Navy. Ordinary Seaman Bailey’s service records show that he was 5ft 5.5ins (1.66m) tall, with auburn hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a spot tattooed between the finger and thumb of his left hand, a scar on his left leg and another in the centre of his back.

Over the next seven years, George served on a total of ten ships, and saw the world. In between voyages he returned to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. In 1895 he married Elizabeth Bull, from Burrington, Somerset, and the couple went on to have six children.

George’s naval career continued, and he rose through the ranks, to Able Seaman in September 1890, Leading Seaman in June 1895, and to Petty Officer 2nd Class and 1st Class the following year.

In January 1899, George’s life took a different direction. After some time training at HMS Collingwood in Hampshire, he joined the Coastguard service, and would spend the next twelve years serving on the coast of Southern Ireland. This opportunity allowed him to have his family with him, and his and Elizabeth’s four youngest children were born in County Clare and County Cork.

By 1911, the family returned to Britain, setting up home in Brixham, Devon. That year’s census found the Baileys living at 6 Coastguard Station on the waterfront. The family remained there through to October 1913, when George was transferred to the Royal Naval Reserve, having served for 26 years.

George found work as the caretaker of the Electric Theatre in Tiverton, Devon, and this is where he and Elizabeth settled down.

Petty Officer Bailey’s time out of active service was to be limited, however, as, just nine months later, war was declared. Called back into action, he was sent to Western Stack Fort in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

An interesting personality has passed away in First-Class Petty Officer George Bailey, who died suddenly on Tuesday… He came home about a fortnight ago on sick leave, and seemed to be improving in health, and on Tuesday went out for a walk. After retiring to bed his death came suddenly as a result of heart failure.

[Crediton Gazette: Saturday 24th March 1917]

George Bailey died on 13th March 1917: he was 45 years of age. He was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery.

Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, story, war

Petty Officer William Clark

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Petty Officer William Clark

William George Clark was born on 23rd November 1884, and was the oldest child to John and Harriet. John was an agricultural labourer from Exminster, Devon, and this is where the family were born and raised.

When he completed his schooling, William found work as a gardener. However, he wanted bigger and better things for himself, and sought out a career at sea. On 12th March 1900 he enlisted in the Royal Navy: being under the formal age to enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class.

William was sent to HMS Impregnable, the training establishment in Devonport, for his induction. Over the next two years – until he turned 18 in November 1902 – Boy Clark started to learn his trade. He was promoted to Boy 1st Class in October 1900, and spent time on the frigate HMS Agincourt and the cruiser HMS Melampus.

When William came of age, he was formally inducted into the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records show that he was just under 5ft 1in (1.55m) tall, with black hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a tattoo of an anchor in his left arm.

Over the next five years, William served on three further ships, returning to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport – in between voyages. He travelled the world and, in May 1904, was promoted to the rank of Able Seaman.

Away from the navy, love blossomed. In May 1907, William married Louisa Cosway in Tiverton, Devon. She was a few months older than her husband, and the couple would go on to have one child, William, who was born the following spring.

Back at sea, and Able Seaman Clark’s career continued. In November 1911 he was promoted to Leading Seaman, reaching the rank of Petty Office in January 1917. During his eighteen year career, he would serve on a total of eleven ships, but in the closing months of the war, William’s health was beginning to suffer. On 9th May 1918, he was medically discharged from service, suffering from heart disease.

William returned home to Tiverton. His time with his family was to prove tragically brief: he passed away from mitral disease and pneumatic fever on 13th May 1918, at the age of 33 years old.

William George Clark was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery. His grave was just a 15min walk from where his widow and son lived on Fore Street, in the town centre.